Fresh Air – Jane Fonda Is Not Backing Down
Host: Tanya Mosley
Guest: Jane Fonda
Date: September 2, 2025
Episode Overview
In this compelling conversation, Tanya Mosley sits down with legendary actress and activist Jane Fonda to reflect on her extraordinary life—spanning Hollywood stardom, political activism, personal struggles, and family complexities. Fonda discusses her journey toward activism, ongoing commitment to social and environmental causes, her fraught relationship with her father (Henry Fonda), and how she continues to seek growth and self-understanding at 87. The episode blends Fonda's firsthand accounts of pivotal historic movements, her ongoing advocacy for democracy and climate, and the personal revelations that have shaped her distinctive voice.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Responsibility, Empathy, and the State of the Nation
- Fonda’s SAG AFTRA Lifetime Achievement Award speech (00:44) set the tone for her current activism:
“Empathy is not weak or woke.”
- She urges unity and empathy, particularly toward Americans in “flyover country” disillusioned by political and economic change:
"All of them are not MAGA... and when they realize that what they voted for has turned against them... they’re going to be looking for alternatives." (03:14)
- Fonda emphasizes the need for outreach, listening, and presenting a hopeful vision for America.
2. Activism Through the Decades
- Fonda discusses her evolution from Hollywood legacy to vocal activist, shifting from acting to advocacy.
“This is not the time to go inward. We have to go out. We have to speak, we have to shout…” (04:52)
- She compares past activism against the Vietnam War with today’s threats to democracy and climate.
- Fonda shares formative moments:
- Her awakening in Paris, meeting American Vietnam War resisters and reading The Village of Ben Suc:
“When I finished that book, I closed it. I was a different person.” (06:17)
- Impressions of her controversial trip to North Vietnam and her regret over the infamous anti-aircraft gun photo:
“It made me look like I was against Americans. I wasn’t there to be against America.” (11:52)
- Ongoing reconciliation with veterans who now thank her for her voice.
- Her awakening in Paris, meeting American Vietnam War resisters and reading The Village of Ben Suc:
3. Consequences of Speaking Out
- Fonda details government harassment by the CIA and FBI, home invasions, and emotional trauma for her children:
“At its worst, it scared my children…” (13:09)
4. Ongoing Activism: Climate and Democracy
- Fonda focuses current efforts on combatting the climate crisis and preserving democracy:
“They go together. They’re totally interdependent.” (13:36)
- She leads the Jane Fonda Climate PAC, building state and local capacity:
"We're focusing... down ballot... city councils, state legislators... This is where the real climate and democracy work is being done right now." (14:29)
5. Reflections on Her Generation and Political Shifts
- Fonda candidly admits her generation's role in ushering in neoliberalism and diminishing the party’s progressive edge:
“It’s called neoliberalism... particularly starting in the 80s, moved to corporate liberalism…” (15:13)
6. Family Legacy: The Influence of Henry Fonda
- Jane credits her father's roles in films like The Grapes of Wrath as “fertilizer in the soil of my soul.” (15:49)
- She recounts his disapproval of her antiwar stance:
“If I find out that you are a communist, I’m going to be the first person to turn you in.” (17:15)
- Despite familial conflict, she emphasizes their shared core values.
7. Fitness Empire for a Cause
- Fonda reveals that she launched her workout tapes to fund activism:
“A light bulb went off. I have to start a business… And it turned out it was the workout.” (18:17)
8. Struggles with Body Image and Eating Disorders
- She speaks frankly about her battle with bulimia, starting her fitness journey post-recovery:
"For those of us who grapple with body dysmorphia... You don’t see what's real. You see what you think is there." (19:46)
- Today, she maintains self-acceptance and healthy habits.
9. Relationship with Parents and Processing Loss
- Fonda shares the pain of her mother’s suicide and how discovering her mother’s abuse shaped her understanding:
"All I wanted to do was take my mother in my arms and hold her and tell her how sorry I was and that I understood." (27:15)
- She discusses her evolving empathy for her imperfect parents and her hopes for reconciliation with her own children.
10. Confronting Mortality and Aging
- Fonda views the contemplation of death as giving life meaning and motivation:
“Thinking about death gives meaning to life… I want to end it with no regrets.” (29:29)
- She describes her eco-conscious burial plans and the importance of preparing for the end intentionally.
11. Craft, Empathy, and Method Acting
- Fonda’s approach to acting fosters deep empathy:
“The whole process of getting to know another character so well that you… respond spontaneously the way they would, not the way you would.” (33:51)
- She recounts her immersive preparation for Klute, working with real sex workers and drawing from their trauma and resilience:
“…the eyes were dead. All of them seemed to have had some essential part of themselves killed.” (34:55) On ad-libbing the psychiatrist scenes in Klute: “We shot it… at the end, when Bree was inside me.” (37:35)
12. Career, Pauses, and Personal Renewal
- After a decade-long break (1991–mid 2000s) to be with Ted Turner, Fonda wrote her memoir and returned to acting in Monster-in-Law.
- Her revitalized partnership with Lily Tomlin in Grace and Frankie reflects the evolution of friendship and self-acceptance with age.
- On her first season struggles:
“I had a nervous breakdown the first season... What had triggered that first episode in me was abandonment.” (45:18)
- Ongoing therapy is seen as vital:
“I want to figure out why I’m not a better person and why I wasn’t a better parent.” (46:29)
- On her first season struggles:
13. On Resilience and Change Late in Life
- Fonda credits resilience for her adaptability and openness to growth up to her late 80s:
“You find love where you can, you find support where you can. That’s a resilient child. That was me.” (47:01)
- Rejecting ageist maxims, she continues to embrace new friendships and change.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We are in our documentary moment.” – Jane Fonda (00:44)
- “This is not the time to go inward. We have to go out. We have to speak, we have to shout.” – Jane Fonda (04:52)
- “I view his [Henry Fonda’s] films as fertilizer in the soil of my soul.” – Jane Fonda (15:49)
- “It kills me that people think that I was against soldiers, but I did help end a terrible part of the war.” – Jane Fonda (12:23)
- “You can’t have a stable democracy with unstable climate. You can’t have a stable climate without a stable democracy. And they’ll be solved together.” – Jane Fonda (13:36)
- “My whole life changed… the first time I got up [in Lee Strasberg’s acting class], he said, you have talent. Nobody had ever said that to me. And I remember it felt like the top of my head came off and birds flew out.” – Jane Fonda (38:54)
- “Thinking about death gives meaning to life… I want to end it with no regrets.” – Jane Fonda (29:29)
- “You find love where you can, you find support where you can. That’s a resilient child. That was me.” – Jane Fonda (47:01)
- On Grace and Frankie: “I had a nervous breakdown... In therapy... I figured it out, and then I fell in love with Grace, and everything from then on was fine.” (45:18)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:44–04:40: Fonda on empathy, activism, and America’s future
- 05:26–07:59: Early activism and consequences of speaking out
- 09:04–12:23: Vietnam, North Vietnam trip, and the infamous photograph
- 13:09–15:42: Government harassment and evolving activism focus
- 16:48–19:46: Parental legacy, bulimia, and body image journey
- 23:23–29:29: Processing parental loss and forging late-life meaning
- 33:51–39:35: Acting method, transformative roles, and Lee Strasberg’s influence
- 41:14–44:44: Return to acting, Grace and Frankie, therapy, and personal growth
- 47:01: Reflections on resilience and personal evolution
Conclusion
This candid conversation shows Jane Fonda’s enduring commitment to activism, her vulnerability regarding family and personal struggles, and her relentless drive for self-improvement—even at 87. Through empathy and resilience, Fonda continues to challenge herself and her peers while inspiring others to persist in the face of daunting social, political, and personal issues. The episode is rich with wisdom, humor, and a passion for justice that makes Fonda not just a Hollywood icon, but a tireless force for change.